BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., June 29, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — BEVERLY
HILLS, CA – Today, our partner Seth M.M. Stodder returned to service
in the federal government by entering the Obama Administration to serve
as Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Threat Prevention and
Security Policy. In that role, Stodder will oversee a team advising the
Secretary of Homeland Security on a wide variety of issues relating to
security threats to the U.S. homeland, and on how to address them while
preserving the civil liberties and privacy rights we all cherish.

Among other things, Stodder will oversee DHS policy on the screening of
people and cargo moving through the global and domestic transportation
systems and across U.S. borders, visa policy and the Visa Waiver Program,
law enforcement and surveillance policy, supply chain security, the national
security implications of certain foreign investments in the United States,
among many other issues.

“This is a time of great instability and danger in the world, and
I’m deeply honored by the trust President Obama, Secretary Johnson,
and Assistant Secretary for Policy Alan Bersin have placed in me. I look
forward to serving our country again, as we work to meet these challenges,
while preserving the values so important to us as Americans,” said Stodder.

This is Stodder’s second stint in government. Previously, he served
in the Bush Administration as Director of Policy for U.S. Customs and
Border Protection in the years immediately after the 9/11 attacks. His
service in both the Bush and Obama Administrations reflects the spirit
of nonpartisanship so necessary in the area of national security, and
is consistent with Stodder’s Independent “No Party Preference”
campaign for the California State Senate last year.

“As a nation, we face challenges too complex for simple thinking
or partisanship, and we must unify to meet those challenges, drawing from
the brightest minds and best ideas, regardless of partisan affiliation,”
said Stodder.

“Of course, we are saddened to see Seth go, but excited by his return
to public service in a field where his expertise regarding trade, security
and civil liberties can be of benefit to our entire country. We need leadership
like Seth’s during a time when we face ever-more sophisticated security
threats from across the world and from even within the United States.
We wish him well, and look forward to his return down the road,”
said Zein E. Obagi, Jr., managing partner of Obagi & Stodder LLP –
now renamed the Obagi Law Group, P.C.

Obagi is a noted aggressive litigator, prosecuting private and public interest
cases in state and federal trial and appellate courts. Most recently,
Mr. Obagi has represented a wide array of clients in claims for insurance
bad faith and breach of contract, civil liberties and educational rights
violations, and deprivation of military veterans’ service-connected
disability benefits. “At the Obagi Law Group, P.C., we will continue
to be a strong voice for the disempowered, and remain dedicated to providing
our clients with top-flight big-firm quality legal representation. Our
steadfast commitment to justice has earned us our clients’ trust
to serve them at the most important times. This commitment is just as
solid with Seth’s departure, and will only grow stronger,”
said Obagi.